


Handsome

by generalatomicsgalleria (charmingotter)



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Complete, Fluff, Light Swearing, M/M, coffee shop AU, rhack - Freeform, will be updating on fridays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2018-12-30 07:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12103620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmingotter/pseuds/generalatomicsgalleria
Summary: Five times Rhys tried and failed to guess Jack’s name and the one time he got it right.





	1. Timothy?

Sasha nudged him lightly. “Your guy just walked in,” she told him, sounding pretty smug. “Guess it’s time for my break.” She not-so-subtly winked at him as she walked off, leaving him the only one to take _‘Handsome’s’_ order. Rhys was already sweating. It didn't help that he wasn't normally the one taking orders. He was better with the coffee. 

The man, _Handsome_ , as everyone in the shop had come to call him, walked up to the counter, not even bothering to look up from his phone. “The biggest cup of black coffee you got, Cupcake,” he said, and still, for the billionth time, did not bother to give a name. “And uh, make it snappy, huh? In a hurry here.” His mismatched eyes flickered up to Rhys only very briefly before returning to his phone. Though he seemed a little dazed for a moment, his thumbs wiggling over the keyboard unsure where to go. Eventually, he shook his head- typing out the rest of the message with lightning speed. 

Rhys nodded. “Sure,” he answered quietly and gave him his total. The man arched an eyebrow at him, shoving his phone in the pocket of his leather jacket. “It was only two yesterday.” Nevertheless, he pulled a ten from his wallet and handed it to Rhys. 

“The owner has a kind of coffee version of ‘happy hour’ going on on Saturdays now,” Rhys explained, glad to have something to say that he could actually talk about with a little confidence. “You just happened to come in at just the right time yesterday,” Rhys shrugged. It was a new thing Fiona was trying out, but Rhys didn’t think it was going to last, to be honest. Nobody really got it. People kept asking him if that meant they served alcohol now. They did not. Which honestly just disappointed everyone who asked. It disappointed _Rhys_ too some days. 

“What? You sayin’ I came in at the wrong time today?” Handsome asked, sounding rather serious, but a smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. Rough fingers brushed his own as Rhys handed over the man’s change. 

Rhys laughed nervously, snatching his hand back. “Uh, no. No. Just yesterday was obviously a better time.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Smooth, Rhys, real smooth, he thought. Handsome kind of squinted at him, staring at him like he was trying to figure out a difficult problem, and Rhys could see it in his eyes. He was thinking, _‘Wow, this kid is a real weirdo’_. He felt his face start to burn, and Rhys ducked his head. “I’ll just...get your...order...yeah,” Rhys smiled hesitantly at him before turning around and immediately knocking several of their biggest mugs to the floor. He swore under his breath, kneeling to pick up the pieces. He heard Handsome sigh on the other side of the counter. 

Sasha came back then. “What did you break this time, Rhys?” She asked, squatting down next to him to help. “Here, I’ll do this. You get his order.” She swatted at his hands, gathering the ceramic pieces in her own hands. “Give him your number,” she hissed at him before he could stand. 

Rhys blushed even deeper and _accidentally_ kicked Sasha’s ankle as he went past to grab Handsome’s order. Black coffee, he thought. It had to be the easiest order to come through all day. He liked Handsome even more for that. 

Hastily, without considering it too much, Rhys scribbled the name _‘Timothy’_ on the cup. Rhys shook his head, looking at the name. It wasn’t right- he knew that already, but it was all he could think of. Although, whether Handsome had noticed the random names he had been writing on his cup at all, he wasn’t sure. Until he did more than shake his head and say, ‘Not a chance, Cupcake,’ when asked for a name it was what he was gonna get though. 

Rhys held the cup over the counter to the man. “Thank you and come again,” he told him automatically, the phrase had, embarrassingly, become a knee jerk reaction. He winced at his own words. 

Handsome snorted, taking the cup from him with a shake of the head. He paused before turning to go. Nodding to Rhys, he tapped the name on the cup with one finger, “Yeah and maybe you’ll get it right one day, Pumpkin,” he smirked. Before Rhys could say another word, he was out the door, chugging his coffee as he went. 

Rhys stared after him. “Ooh, are you two playing a game now? See if you can guess his name?” Sasha asked, right behind him now, her sharp chin resting on his shoulder. Rhys only shrugged in answer. “Hmm, well, did you give him your number?”

“No. And I’m not going to.” Rhys was not going to be _that_ guy. “He comes here for coffee, not dates, Sash.”

“Whatever, Rhys, go ahead. Let the cute guy get away cause you’re being a wuss about giving him your number,” Sasha teased. “See if I care.” She threw up her hands, in fake drama. “Be alone forever, it's totally not my problem.”

“Not a wuss,” Rhys grumbled moving to get the broom to sweep up the rest of the broken mugs. “And besides I don't even know anything about him. He could be awful, you know.”

“Hey, he gives huge tips,” Sasha said, pulling a twenty out of their tip jar and waving it in his face. “That's a winner in my book,” she grinned.


	2. Dameon?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was _purely_ out of the kindness of his heart- it really really was.

“He’s back,” Sasha sang happily. 

“Yeah, yeah, I saw,” Rhys mumbled, handing a woman her overly complicated latte and a bagel. He had seen. Not much of him, just his jacket, but Rhys had seen him. 

“Well, did you see how he looks today?” Sasha elbowed him in the ribs before quickly switching to her ‘customer voice’. “Hi! How can I help you, sir?” He heard Sasha ask a little too cheerfully as he handed off yet another cup of coffee to some mom with three children. 

Rhys didn’t want to look. He really didn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. Peeking over the counter, Rhys made it a point only to glance past him, very pointedly _not_ staring and moved back to his work quickly. 

“Biggest cup of coffee you got. Black.” Handsome sounded tired; exhausted really. Rhys looked over the counter again, curiosity getting the better of him. Upon closer inspection, Rhys realized Handsome looked as rough as he sounded. Dark circles under his eyes, unkempt hair, dirty clothes- he had obviously been having a long day for a while now. Had there been a mind reader in the room, Rhys might have felt a little shame at thinking he looked just a touch more attractive this way, but seeing as there wasn’t one he let the thought go without much guilt.

He stood, leaning with both hands pressed to the counter, waiting for Sasha to enter his order. There was blood on his knuckles, Rhys noticed, curiosity piqued. Now that was...peculiar. Did he get into a fight? The thought wasn’t hard to imagine. He looked the type to get into it with somebody and end up really getting into it. Fisticuffs, as his uncle Hammerlock would say. Perhaps that was where the scar across his nose had come from? Handsome must have a temper.

“Rhys!” Sasha smacked him on the shoulder. “The order. Get the order.” From her tone, he knew he had not only been staring, but she had already told him to get the order twelve times now. 

“Shit,” he quickly glanced away, blushing, trying to not act like he wasn’t staring at a customer while he was working. “Uh, yeah, what was it again, Sash?” He looked to her desperately, hoping she wouldn't call him out just this once. 

Graciously, she wasn't given the opportunity. As soon as she had opened her mouth, Handsome answered for her, “Same as always.” He ran a hand through his hair roughly, looking past Sasha directly at Rhys with those beautifully mismatched eyes of his. “You know the order by now. Come on, Cupcake. Black coffee, just like always.” 

“Right, right.” Rhys nodded, finally coming out of his thoughts _and_ his embarrassment. 

As he got the order together he heard Sasha ask, “So, do you work around here? You come in here a lot.”

“Yeah,” was the only reply. Clipped. A bit of a snap to his tone. Sasha’s next question of where he worked fell on deaf ears as Handsome walked away, apparently finding more interest in watching Rhys get his order than making small talk with Sasha while he waited. Which, Sasha didn’t even have time to notice since yet another stream of customers soon filed through the door.

Rhys’ eyes glanced over Handsome’s injured knuckles again as he signed the name ‘Dameon’ on the cup- which admittedly, was a pretty bad guess, but it was what it was. He frowned, setting the coffee down as a maybe not so good idea popped into his head. 

“That mine?” Handsome asked him, pointing to the cup of coffee Rhys had just sat down. 

Rhys hesitated. “Uhhh, yeah, but hold on a sec.” Without thinking he shoved a strawberry muffin, freshly baked, into a paper bag and, with the cup of coffee, shoved them across the counter to the man. He didn’t let him question it, moving over to Sasha to get the next order before there was time. 

When things slowed down next, Sasha grinned at him, a wicked glint in her eye. “Did you finally give Handsome your number? He was kinda smiling when he walked out of here.” She bumped her hip with his. 

Rhys blushed. “No, I told you I’m not giving him my number. That’s weird. I’m not giving a customer my number,” he laughed, almost hysterically from his own nerves, shaking his head. Sasha had good intentions, but that was just not happening. 

“Why did you give him a muffin then?” Sasha wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Are you waiting for him to flirt with _you_?” 

“No,” Rhys hissed. “He just seemed like he was having a bad day. The muffin was just to be nice.”

“Right,” Sasha drawled. “Whatever you say, Rhys.” She patted him on the shoulder before going back to cleaning the counter. “Whatever you say.”

Rhys sighed. It was just a muffin, he thought. Just a muffin. A muffin he gave him for free cause he looked like he had been having a bad day, but that didn’t mean he was gonna be weird and try to actively flirt with him and give him his number. The muffin had just been...a kind gesture. Yeah, a kind gesture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name ‘Dameon’ came from Jack’s voice actor.


	3. Jim?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much for reading and having a quiet evening.

It was a slow day. So slow that Sasha had decided to knock off early in fact. He couldn't blame her. She wasn't even obligated to be here anyway. Sasha didn't get paid, she only helped out cause her sister owned the place. Rhys on the other hand, well, Rhys was stuck where he was. Which wasn’t so bad really. He was alone and had all the time in the world to read his new book. Fiona would have fussed at him for sitting on her counter, but since she wasn’t here he was gonna enjoy it while he could. 

He checked his watch again. It wouldn't be too long until he could go home now though, in the meantime he would probably be able to finish the first couple of chapters. 

Or so he thought. He had become so absorbed in his book he actually didn't hear the little bell above the door ring. Needless to say, it was a shock when someone tapped him on the forehead. Rhys swore, dropping the book and almost knocked another mug to its death. Surprisingly, instead of falling to the floor and shattering, Handsome caught it on the edge of the counter. “So, is that anything good or are you just deaf?” he asked, placing the mug back on the counter and plucking Rhys’s book up off the floor. 

Rhys hopped off the counter, suddenly unsure of what to do with himself. There was usually some sort of buffer with them, he thought. There were customers, or Sasha, or hell- _the counter even._ But no, now it was just the two of them and Rhys didn’t have a quick getaway. “Uhhh, no, no, it's good.” Rhys frowned. “Um, you want your usual order or…” He trailed off, watching Handsome, who was now squinting at his book. He had to hold it away a little to read it apparently. He must need glasses Rhys thought. It wouldn’t be surprising. He did have that gray streak. Rhys frowned, the thought of how old Handsome was only occurring to him now. 

_“I was not a lovable child, and I'd grown into a deeply unlovable adult. Draw a picture of my soul, and it'd be a scribble with fangs,”_ he read aloud. After his eyes squinted at the words a little longer they flickered up to Rhys. “Dark and deep, huh,” he smirked. “Would have pegged you for a sci-fi guy myself.” He pushed the book back into Rhys’s hands and Rhys saw then that he had bandages covering his bloodied knuckles now. Good, Rhys couldn't help but think. He was taken care of - to some degree at least. 

Handsome must have noticed Rhys looking at his hands because he suddenly shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket as if he were trying to hide the damage. 

“So...Did you want coffee?” Rhys asked, feeling too awkward to say anything else. 

Handsome nodded. “And another muffin if you've got it.” He smiled, almost shyly, looking away from Rhys and out at the cars passing by on the street. “Thank you...for the one the other day. It was good.”

Rhys slipped back behind the counter, setting his book down as he went. “Don't mention it,” he bit his lip to keep from smiling. He almost couldn’t help it though- the muffin had worked. “Just thought you might need a sort of pick-me-up.” He shrugged, rolling up sleeves so they wouldn’t get dirty. 

“You should’ve,” Handsome started, then stopped. Finally, he just shook his head and kind of spread his hands out in a sort of defeat. “Well, I appreciated it.” 

Rhys just smiled. The order didn’t take long. It never did. When he grabbed his marker to write the name though, he hesitated. “Give me a hint,” Rhys said suddenly, and he knew he was staring at the other man, but he also didn't much care right now. Handsome cocked his head to the side, an unstated question. He tapped the top of his marker to the cup. “Your name,” he explained. “Give me a hint.” 

Handsome’s face split into a huge grin and he laughed. “Yeah. Okay, yeah.” He rubbed the stubble over his jaw thoughtfully for a moment. “It starts with a _J_.”

Rhys pursed his lips, then, with a name finally in mind, nodded and scribbled the first _J_ name that had come to mind. He handed it over with the brown paper bag containing his muffin. 

_“Jim?”_ He snorted. “Do I really look like a Jim?” He gestured to his face, sounding almost upset by the mere thought. 

“No,” Rhys laughed, shaking his head. “No. Not at all really, but it was the first name that came to mind.”

Handsome shook his head at the cup but took a quick sip from it anyway. “Well,” he sighed. “Guess I'll have to be back tomorrow to give you another chance to get it right.”

Rhys laughed again. “I'll be here.” 

Handsome just smiled, waving goodbye as he went out the door. 

Oh, this is so bad, Rhys thought, studiously ignoring his little fluttering heart. Handsome was better than handsome- _he was charming._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The quote _“I was not a lovable child, and I'd grown into a deeply unlovable adult. Draw a picture of my soul, and it'd be a scribble with fangs,”_ is from Gillian Flynn’s book ‘Dark Places’ that I honestly cannot recommend enough.  
>  Also the name ‘Jim’ came from that one scene in Tales From the Borderlands where Gortys calls Jack ‘Gentle Jim’.


	4. James?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Handsome two-point-oh anyone?”

“Rhys...Rhys,” Fiona snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Is there a reason you've been staring at the door all day or do you really just want to make sure to go as slow as possible today?”

“He's watching for Handsome,” Sasha informed her. 

“Should I know who that is that or...?”

“Oh, you know,” Sasha told her. “You remember the guy. The guy with the wrist tattoo and the gray streak and like...the mismatched eyes like Rhys’s?” When Fiona showed no signs of recognition Sasha gave an exasperated sigh. “Rhys has a not so subtle crush on him?”

Fiona shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Anyways, I don’t care who he’s watching for,” Fiona said. “We’ve got orders piling up here. He needs to get it together.”

“Let him be. He's nervous. Handsome hasn’t come in all week.”

“Am not,” he tried to defend himself weakly. Unfortunately, it was the truth. Handsome hadn't been by in a week now. It had started making Rhys antsy. He was starting to wonder if he had said something wrong the other day when they had talked, but that just didn’t seem right considering how good things had actually gone that day. He also wondered, dreadfully, if maybe it were something more serious than his other fear and that maybe the man had been seriously hurt- or worse. That was something he most certainly did not want to think about. 

Fiona snapped her fingers at him again. “You might as well have stayed home if you were gonna be this useless, Rhys,” she hissed across to him. She shook her head, picking her keys up and grabbing her coffee from Sasha. “Pay attention to the orders. Okay, Rhys? Sasha, you're in charge until I get back this evening. I gotta go meet that accountant guy.” She wrinkled her nose. 

“His name’s Vaughn and he's good accountant, alright,” Rhys defended his friend. 

Fiona ignored him. She had barely agreed to hire him, she wasn't going to bother to learn his name unless he was gonna be sticking around. “Hold the fort down, Sash.”

“Can do,” Sasha nodded. “And drive safe,” she waved. 

Rhys didn't watch her go, choosing instead to fill the last few orders that had been piling up while he was wondering about all the bad things that could have happened to his...his what? His stranger? The thought made Rhys want to laugh. He didn’t even know his name, but Rhys was for some reason just so intensely worried about the man. _Ridiculous._

He handed off the orders on autopilot until he came to the one that was too familiar to not be what he was thinking. His head snapped up, searching for his familiar stranger’s handsome face and mismatched eyes. Instead, he found only a gruff looking older gentleman with a beard, who regarded him more than a little scrutinously. “My boss said to apologize to you for leaving you hanging for a week,” he told Rhys plainly. “He's been... busy.”

Rhys’s mouth popped open. “So...Your boss,” Rhys said, “He’s okay?”

“Yeah,” the man with the beard said with a shrug. “He also said to,” he paused to put air quotes around his next words, “give it your best shot.” He looked pointedly at the cup in Rhys’s hand. 

Blinking in a confusion, Rhys gave himself a second, allowing this information to soak in.“Uhh, okay.” Rhys nodded, scribbling his next guess on the side of the cup. He almost hated to admit it, but he had googled most popular _J_ names the night Handsome had given him the hint. What could he say though? This game they were playing, whatever it meant, it was a game Rhys wanted to win. He didn't exactly know why, especially when he didn’t even know what was gonna happen if he _did_ win, nevertheless he was willing to find out. And by God, he had done his research and he was going to start making educated guesses. This name was one of the most popular. So, statistically speaking, it couldn't be a terrible guess, right?

When he handed the cup over though, the bearded man just shook his head. “You're really bad at this, you know that?” Rhys let out a frustrated huff of air, not even sure what to say to that, but it didn’t matter because it was only another second and the man was gone again. 

“Don't pout,” Sasha told him, poking him in the side. “At least you know why he hasn't been by now. Plus, that guy wasn’t so bad himself,” she grinned. “Handsome two-point-oh anyone?” She giggled. 

“Really? Didn’t think that was your type.” Rhys chuckled at her. 

Sasha shrugged easily. “Beggars can’t be choosers. We can’t all have to beautiful ones lusting after us,” she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. “Anyways, cheer up, Rhys. Handsome didn’t die,” she teased him. “He’s just been busy apparently.”

Rhys sighed. “I guess,” he shook his head. Damn, he really did want to win this game.


	5. John?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad neighbors and idiot employees are the worst.

Rhys was tired. He hadn't slept that much the last few days. Or at least it wasn’t good sleep. It mostly went like this- Rhys slept for five minutes, something that was meant to hit his neighbor Axton hit the other side of Rhys's bedroom wall instead, Rhys went back to sleep, Sarah and Axton ended up in another screaming match, and the pattern kept up. All. Night. Long. 

“You sure you don’t wanna go take a nap or something in the back room?” Sasha asked him. “You’re looking pretty dead on your feet, Rhys.”

He waved her off. “‘M fine,” he mumbled, except he really wasn’t. Sasha was right; he was ready to collapse right there before the counter as he served other people coffee, but it didn’t matter. He had to work. And he had promised Fiona he wouldn’t slow things down anymore. ‘No more staring at the door looking for handsome strangers?’ She had asked. And he had promised, again, that no, he wouldn’t. 

“How are the neighbors then?” Sasha asked, having already figured out why he hadn’t been sleeping. 

“They’re getting a divorce apparently,” Rhys informed her, yawning. “I think Axton was into someone else? I dunno. Sarah is _pissed_ though, if all the shit she threw at him is anything to go by anyway.” The ongoing saga of his neighbor’s destructive and unhealthy marriage seemed to be coming to an end. Rhys half wondered who would keep the apartment when they were done. He hoped the answer was neither- they were both terrible neighbors. 

“Oh, there’s your guy again,” Sasha nudged him, nodding to the outside. “He’s on his phone,” she said curiously. 

“And pacing,” Rhys noted, watching him with her now. Even with how cold it was, he didn’t come inside to do his pacing and it wasn’t long until they saw why. He had begun shouting and gesturing wildly and broadly as he did. 

“So, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be the person on the other end of _that_ phone call.” Sasha crossed her arms decidedly. 

“He’s scaring people,” Rhys remarked, watching one woman in particular who not so subtly decided to take a detour across the street with her son when she saw him. 

“Someone normal might be more concerned about your dating prospects with this guy,” Sasha commented, though didn’t really sound particularly concerned.

Rhys just shrugged. “Maybe whoever it is deserves to get yelled at.” It wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility- sometimes people did need to be yelled at, but Rhys knew it was far more likely the guy just had a bad temper. Somehow that didn’t actually bother Rhys that much though. 

Both of them were still staring and he most definitely saw them when he finally shoved his phone back in his pockets and walked in. They all watched each other for a moment, carefully, silently, trying to determine their next move. Finally, it was Sasha who broke the silence, “So, was that your girlfriend you were talking to?” _Rhys would have rather she hadn’t._ If he could have dropped dead of exhaustion before, he could drop dead of embarrassment now. 

“No,” Handsome’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “An idiot from work,” he explained, coming closer to the counter. “Thought it was a good idea to accidentally shoot his partner in the foot for funsies.” He sighed a deep sigh, bowing his head and squeezing the bridge of his nose. “I hired idiots,” he shook his head. 

“Who the hell shoots their partner in the foot for fun?” Rhys asked suddenly.

_“Idiots,”_ Handsome told him a grim smile plastered on his face. “Now, would you mind getting me some coffee, Princess?” He looked between Rhys and Sasha, waiting. 

“Rhys, that’s you,” Sasha grinned. “Get the man his coffee.”

“Right,” Rhys nodded. “Uh,” he closed his eyes, feeling dazed and tired just from having stood there so long. “Coffee, yeah, okay.” He nodded again and eventually his tired brain figured out how to function again. 

“You don’t look so good,” Handsome commented absently. “You sick or something?”

“Oh, no. No, don’t worry. I’m not spreading germs of anything,” Rhys half laughed. God, he didn’t want this guy to think he was being gross and disgusting at work. “I’m just tired.”

“Someone keeping you up at night?” Handsome asked, an edge to his tone and a wicked spark in his eye. 

It wasn’t hard to see what he meant. Rhys burst out laughing, almost spilling the coffee he had in his hands. “Ha, no,” he answered pointedly. “I wish it was as good a reason as that.” He shook his head. “My neighbors have been keeping me up. They fight,” Rhys shrugged. 

“Want me to take care of 'em? Ya know...Permanently. I’m in that sort of mood today,” Handsome threw out half-heartedly as if it were nothing. 

Rhys just laughed, popping the lid on the coffee cup he had already been holding for far longer than necessary. He was gonna blame that on the tiredness and not the conversation though. Picking up his marker he sighed. “Let’s try this one today,” Rhys said and handed the cup over. It was such a common name, he honestly didn’t expect it to be right, but as tired as he was he couldn’t come up with anything else. 

_“John.”_ Handsome didn't exactly look displeased about this guess, but his expression was a peculiar one. “Getting close, Cupcake. Real close.” He leaned over the counter and patted Rhys on the face affectionately. “See ya around,” he waved goodbye to them

“Honestly Rhys, if you don’t give him your number I’m gonna give it to him _for_ you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Rhys...I mean...that was sorta right, but not the answer he was looking for lol


	6. Jack? Handsome Jack?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craziness is relative, right?

“Maybe it's something weird,” Sasha suggested. “Like Jacques!” She laughed and threw her head back. “He looks like he'd have something dramatic like that,” she giggled. 

“Or maybe it's something really common,” Rhys shrugged. They had been going back and forth on this for a while now while they were on break. He and Sasha were sharing the only table in their tiny break room, each trying not to push each other’s plate off in the process.

“Like Jake or something?” Sasha hummed. “Yeah, Jake. He could be a Jake. That's super common.” She took another bite of her burger. “I don't get why you can't just give him your number though.”

Rhys considered this as he pushed around his salad with his fork. Finally, he just shrugged. “I dunno. It's part of the game I guess.”

Sasha half laughed, tilting her head to the side. “What? You think you'll get _his_ number if you figure out his name and win?”

Rhys gave a half-hearted hand gesture. “I mean, I guess?” He didn't really know what he expected if he won, but he did know he wanted to. “Is that weird?”

“Well...it's not weirder than anything else that's going on here,” Sasha said with a small shrug. “Anyways, you're bound to figure it out eventually. Don't sweat it.” She waved a hand at him. “Besides,” she snorted, “if it wasn't painfully obvious, he _does_ like you. He’ll probably just give it to you eventually to stop both of your sufferings.”

Rhys rolled his eyes at her. “I can dream I suppose,” he said. After finishing the last bite of his salad, he threw the box into the bin right beside them- it was a tiny room. “I'm going back out, but you've still got another ten minutes to eat, so you don't need to hurry.”

“Thanks, Rhys,” she smiled at him. It was a fond smile. One often shared between them. They had become fast friends when they met, bonding over bad jokes about the people they served. Originally, Fiona had been quite aggressively protective when she found out, thinking Rhys was just trying to sleep with her sister, but really that had never been a thing between them. They might have entertained the idea a time or two, but they both knew that just wasn't how things were. To him- she was more like the little sister he never had. And on occasion, he did give Fiona a run for her money when it came to being a protective sibling. 

“Enjoy your food.” He gave her a short wave before returning to work. 

Rhys has only just turned the lock and the open sign when he showed up. His appearance was enough of a shock that Rhys dropped the plate he was holding. 

Handsome frowned at the broken ceramic on the floor and then at Rhys. “Yeah, I know it looks pretty bad,” he said. “But it’s fine.” He grinned, spreading his arms wide, not without wincing Rhys notice, “The point is- I’m here to give you another guess at the whole name thing.”

“Bad?” Rhys echoed. “You look like you got hit by a car.” Actually, he looked like he got hit by a train, but Rhys wasn't going to say that. Handsome truly did look rough. He had a split lip that was freshly opened, a black eye, what looked almost like road rash going up the side of his face, a brace on one hand, and bandages peeking out from under his shirt collar. Not to mention he had bled through the bandages around his hands. What had he gotten into this time?

“Rhys, you alright? I heard something break,” Sasha peaked out from the break room. Then she saw Handsome. “Oh my god, are you okay? You look like shit.” 

“Fine,” he waved her off without a thought. 

“Nothing? You've got a black eye and a bloody lip!” Rhys knew he had no real right to be upset right now, but holy shit, he looked bad. Why was he even here and not at like an ER of something?

“Okay, I'm just gonna go now then,” Sasha shot him a nervous look before ducking back in the break room.

“It's nothing,” Handsome repeated. “I'm fine,” he said and it sounded like a promise. He put a hand on Rhys’s shoulder, steering him towards the counter. “Really. Now, do me a favor- make this day not a complete waste of energy and time.” He grinned. “Guess my name, Cupcake.” 

“You're crazy, you know that?” Rhys asked, staring at the wild, bloodied man. He was absolutely crazy, Rhys was sure of that, but he also somehow got the feeling that this was about the only good thing that was going on for him today. 

Handsome bowed his head, chuckling. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. Kinda was hoping that didn't bother you.” He shrugged, not meeting Rhys’s eye now. 

Rhys sighed at the man, still staring at all his injuries. That- that was when he saw it. An ID card clipped to the inside of his jacket, poking out just enough for Rhys to read it. The answer to everything. It was _perfect_. And Rhys just smiled. Instead of answering him, Rhys asked, “Black?” He picked up a cup. Handsome just nodded, watching Rhys more keenly now. He took his time. Not getting in a hurry now that he had his answer. It's not like there was a line anyway. He popped the lid on easily and grabbed his marker. Rhys grinned at Handsome over the cup. “Ya know, I'm feeling pretty confident about my guess this time.”

Handsome inclined his head to him, hands on his hips. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Rhys nodded confidently. “I think this will be my last guess in fact.”

“That's a pretty bold assumption.”

“Yeah,” Rhys agreed. “But I'm thinking before I officially make my guess, that we should determine what I get if I'm right.”

Handsome chuckled. “What you get? Like a prize?” Rhys nodded. He gave a low whistle. “Hmm, well, I guess whatever you want, Sweetheart.”

“Whatever I want...say a date?” 

“A date. With me? Now that sounds like a pretty crummy consolation prize.” Rhys shrugged. Finally, Handsome shook his head. “Fine. Fine, a date...if you get it right that is,” he added. 

Rhys nodded, sure of himself now as he scribbled on Handsome’s cup. When he was done he walked around the counter to deliver it straight into the other man’s hands. Getting in close in personal, he put the cup in his hand, his other hand snatching the card from inside his jacket. He held it up for him to see. “I'm pretty sure I got it right this time, _Jack_.”

Handsome Jack looked down the cup, then up at Rhys and his ID card and laughed. Deeply and with his entire body. “You finally got it,” he grinned. “And I like the added adjective.”

Rhys hummed, a sort of smug grin on his face that he couldn’t help. “Seemed appropriate.”

“Well, I hope this is too,” Jack said and closed the space between them. Rhys could feel the smile on his lips and taste the blood from his cut as his bandaged hands slid up to the sides of his neck. When they finally pulled back Jack just grinned. “So, I'm thinking the aquarium and then dinner this Saturday. Any thoughts?”

Rhys laughed. “The aquarium? That...actually sounds like fun.” It had sounded ridiculous at first, but really thinking of it the thought was intriguing. 

“Good,” Jack said, his thumb rubbing over Rhys’s jaw. “I'll pick you up from here at five then.” He brought Rhys’s face back to his, giving him only a quick peck this time. “Bye for now though.” After a quick ruffle of Rhys’s hair Jack finally stepped away. 

Rhys just laughed, feeling giddy. “Bye for now,” he echoed, watching him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! Here we are folks! The end! :D


End file.
